New York –
Just over a year ago, Michael, Denise and Zeke Sandy came into the lives of us at the Anti-Violence Project…
Since then, we have learned a tremendous amount about who we are as individuals, a community and an agency…
For twenty-seven years, we have helped people deal with and recover from trauma and violence. In doing that difficult work, we have the opportunity to meet some of the most inspiring people…
The Sandy family, and Michael’s friends are some of those people. They have made a tremendous impact on all of us at the Anti-Violence Project through their quiet demonstrations of faith, forgiveness, grace, and character. Though through what is the most difficult time in their lives, they have been an inspiration to us all…
What happened to Michael right here didn’t need to happen…
Four individuals planned and chose what would happen to Michael and just because things perhaps didn’t turn out quite how they planned it, they are no less responsible.
This was not an accident. When you set up a situation in which the only options for someone are a beating and robbery, an ocean or a highway, you are responsible for whatever choice they make and whatever the consequences of that choice may be.
As we stand here today, those four individuals: Anthony Fortunato, John Fox, Gary Timmins, and Ilya Shurov are facing justice.
Gary Timmins knows his fate and opted to testify against his friends.
We await the final disposition of the case against Ilya Shurov.
But in the last week both Anthony Fortunato and John Fox have been convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime in the death of Michael Sandy.
They will learn their fates on the 20th of next month, we believe in mercy, but we now also ask the judge in both of their cases to ensure that their sentences are in-line with the treacherousness, viciousness, gravity, and yes, hatefulness of their crime.
We clearly still have a lot of work to do in our city. When in the face of a senseless tragedy such as this jurors dare to talk about their sympathy for these defendants and don’t even offer a word for the victim or his family; when hatred and its consequences stare them right in the face and they resent having to follow the law and call it for what it is…
Fortunately, in their ultimate decision, these jurors valued the law over their own biases, their apparent dismissal of the victim and care for the perpetrators, but that puts justice for any community targeted by hate violence in a tenuous position: Justice may be denied because a jury weighed its biases more heavily than its civic duty.
Therefore, the work that must be done is to ensure that all New Yorkers can feel compassion for the accused, but also recognize that that compassion does not trump these simple truths:
no one deserves to be killed and
no one should be singled out for victimization because of who they are.
Again, we thank the Sandy’s for giving us so much this last year.
We also thank the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office for giving this case the attention and resources it needed and deserved, and we thank the community that has supported both the Sandy Family and our work at the Anti-Violence Project.
Thank you.
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In 2006, the Anti-Violence Project served over 2,000 victims of violence. The Anti-Violence Project's Safe Dating and Internet Safe Dating Tips, as well as annual reports on hate and domestic violence can be accessed online at http://www.avp.org/ or by calling 212-714-1184.
The New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project is the nation's largest service agency for victims of bias crimes against the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected communities. Since 1980, the Anti-Violence Project has provided counseling and advocacy for tens of thousands of survivors of bias-motivated and domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, HIV-related violence, and police misconduct. The Anti-Violence Project documents incidents of violence against and within LGTB communities, educates the public about the effects of violence, against or within our communities, and works to reform public policies impacting all lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected people.
The Anti-Violence Project provides free and confidential assistance to crime victims through its 24-hour bilingual hotline (212-714-1141).
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